Final Fantasy VI - Long Way from What We Knew
by Cyndaquil255
Summary: A year has passed since Kefka, magic, and the Espers all died. The world is flourishing, and everyone is happy, but then Terra winds up in another world. The most peculiar part? Magic still exists here. But where are her friends? She's going to need to find them, right? It's going to take some getting used to, but maybe, just maybe... she could find a new life here.
1. Chapter 1

Terra opened her eyes, the light settling. What had just happened? And... why was she on the ground? Come to think of it, why wasn't she holding that stone? ...Had the stone done this...? "Is everyone alright?" Terra asked, awaiting an answer. None came, however. "...Hello? Celes? Edgar? Relm, Sabin... Locke?! Where is everyone!?" She called, though no answer came. She gasped. "We must've... Oh, no, this is just like when the world ended...!" She turned around, but she stumbled. "Ah!" What was that about? ...Oh, that's right. Her hands were on the ground. After shaking her head and getting back to her hands and knees, she pushed herself off the ground. ...Wait... her skin isn't supposed to be this color... "Whoa... Whoa!" She quickly lost her balance again, flopping onto her stomach. Something wasn't quite right. She tried again... and fell over again. She tried again... and again... and again. Same result each time.

Nearby, a yellow pegasus was out for a morning stroll. She smiled as the sun reflected off of the river that ran nearby her home. "Another beautiful morning... Oh, I do wonder what my friends are up to..." she said, quietly, to herself. She continued trotting, enjoying her typical post-feeding time routine. As the river wound closer to the Everfree Forest, she slowed down to turn around. This was as far as she ever went, as the Everfree Forest simply made her shudder. But as she turned around, she caught a glimpse of someone just inside the forest on the other side of the river. She probably wasn't in any danger... After all, Apple Bloom had wandered into the forest multiple times to see Zecora, and Zecora lived much further in than this mare was... But really, what if something did happen? Fluttershy wasn't quite the heroic type, so she thought she might as well check to see if she was okay.

"What's going on...? Why can't I stand up?" Terra asked, as she fell over yet again. Her eyes closed, she slammed her hand into the ground. ...That's odd. She was trying to clench a fist, but she didn't seem to be doing it. She opened her eyes. "Wah!" She yelped, seeing not a hand, but a hoof.

"Umm... Excuse me? Miss? Are you alright? You don't need any help, do you...?" The sound of a voice behind her caused her to try to stand up yet again, though she, once again, fell flat on her stomach. "Oh... oh my... Is everything alright? You seem a little off."

"Off? How do you mean?" Terra asked, not bothering to try to turn again. She simply decided to wait where she was for one of her friends to find her. That was when the yellow pegasus stepped into her view.

"Well, it's just that, you see, you're trying to stand... on your back hooves... and, well, usually, we walk on all four..." Fluttershy shrunk back in shock when Terra yelped.

"A-a talking... Talking horse?!" Not caring about her own hooves anymore, she scrambled back until she bumped into a tree. "How is this possible?! How can you talk?!" She held a hoof to her face, contemplative for a moment. "Well... I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised... I mean, Mog's a talking Moogle, and we always thought those things couldn't talk, either... But I've never heard of a talking horse!"

Fluttershy furrowed her brow, then questioned, "Well, why not? You're a talking horse, too. Though, around here, we tend to use the term 'pony...'"

"What?" Terra asked, suddenly noticing her face was not constructed the way it normally was. Concern for the presence of hooves overtook her again, and she questioned, to nobody in particular, "How could something like that have happened?" She shook her head, not paying the pegasus much mind. "Just a few minutes ago, I was a normal person! My friends and I had found a stone of some kind, and we were all wondering what it was..."

"A person?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head. "You're a little strange..." The sound of an owl hooting somewhere in the forest reminded her of where they were. "Oh, that's right... Umm, I was over here to ask you if you were alright. This forest is dangerous and unnatural, but I'm sure you probably know what you're doing." She blinked. "You DO know what you're doing, right...?"

Terra stood herself up as best as she could on her hooves. "Quite frankly, no, I don't. This doesn't look like any place I'm familiar with." She took a look around. "But I've had my share of danger and experienced PLENTY that most people would consider 'unnatural.' There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary here, though."

Fluttershy stepped forward. "Oh, believe me, it's not natural in the slightest! The clouds move on their own and the weather changes by itself, animals take care of themselves-"

"That sounds pretty normal to me." Fluttershy gasped. "What?"

"Are you sure you're alright? You'd better come with me, we can make sure at the hospital." Fluttershy turned and stepped out of the forest, taking flight across the river. Terra followed, shakily, but stopped at the edge. Turning around, Fluttershy asked, "Are you coming?"

Terra stared at the river. "Is it shallow?"

"I... I think so." Fluttershy placed a hoof to her muzzle. "I've never really... It's shallow by my house, but I don't know about down here near the forest..." Fluttershy landed on the other side.

"...I don't know how to swim." Terra glanced up at the pegasus.

"You don't?"

Terra shook her head, then thought. '_Well, not right now, anyway. Back home, I could swim. ...A little, anyway.'_

"Well... Why don't you just use your magic to get over here?" Fluttershy asked, noting that Terra was, in fact, a unicorn.

"M... magic...?" Now there was a word she had not heard in a long time. How long had it been? A year, at least? Hadn't magic died with Kefka? "I... I can't."

Fluttershy was utterly stunned. "You... can't use magic?" Who ever heard of a unicorn who can't do magic? Sweetie Belle, maybe, but it was too early to count her out. As a filly, she had probably been bursting with magic, like other baby unicorns, but it had faded over the years, no doubt. "You're... you're serious?"

"I'm serious. I don't know how to swim, and I can't do magic." She hung her head. She kicked at the dirt, losing her balance a bit, but catching herself. "It's alright. You can keep going back home yourself. I should look for my friends, anyway."

"W-wait. There's a bridge down near my house. Walk on that side of the river! When we get there, I'll make you some tea!" Fluttershy smiled, then hid her face. "Umm... Well, I mean, if you're not busy, that is." This pony seemed somewhat friendly, if a little shy. Terra had her doubts that she would have come over if somebody else had been around. Nodding, Terra turned in the direction the other pony had been walking before. After a moment, she turned to Terra. Terra looked in her direction, and she immediately looked away, as if intimidated by her. Why did this winged pony seem so afraid of her? Had she perhaps heard a mis-informed version of the story of how she and the others had taken down Kefka? ...No, no, that couldn't be possible. She didn't seem to know anything about what had happened. Another glance over at the pony showed the same result as before.

"So, uh... You got a name?" It seemed that there was no response. "...Well? Do you?" She turned her head. The pony was looking in the opposite direction, slightly towards the ground. "What's wrong?" She saw her squint her eyes shut. "Do you not have a name? You have to have one, right?" She thought she heard a little squeak. "Did... did you say something?"

In a hushed whisper, Fluttershy said, "It's Fluttershy..." But Terra couldn't hear her.

"I'm sorry? ...Y-you know, it can wait until we're on the same side of the river." She smiled, awkwardly. This pony certainly seemed like a quiet one. The rest of the walk to the bridge was spent in silence. Though, Terra was mulling over why the winged, yellow horse had clammed up all of a sudden, just because she had asked for her name. ...Although, she had been soft spoken the whole time. Perhaps she truly was merely concerned for her safety and doesn't intend on keeping close to her. '_I guess I'm on my own for finding my friends, then...'_

Once at the bridge, Terra raced to the other side and took a good look around. The setting immediately in front of her was, of course, Fluttershy's house. "This is your house?" she asked, as Fluttershy slowly trotted up behind her. Still in her shy stupour, she silently nodded. "It's... well, it's... beautiful... I've never seen a house like this before. Where I come from, all the buildings look the same. Wooden, or bricks, and generally bland when you see them all the time... and in some cases falling apart."

"Wh-where do you come from...? Manehattan? Las Pegasus? Maybe Tall Tale?" Fluttershy asked, looking up.

"Where? No, I've never even heard of those places. I guess you could say I come from Mobliz."

"Where's Mobliz? Is it outside of Equestria?" Fluttershy asked, slightly intrigued.

"Huh?" Looking back, Terra thought for a moment. Equestria? Is that what this place was called? "Oh, yeah. It is." '_Assuming this is a country, that's not entirely inaccurate...'_ "So, uh... what did you say your name was?"

Shrinking back a bit, Fluttershy squeaked out, "My name's... um... Fluttershy..." Terra heard her, but just barely.

"Fluttershy, huh? Never heard a name like that before. My name's Terra." She looked around. "Listen, uh, thanks for checking on me, but I should really-"

Fluttershy cut in. "Oh, it was no trouble, really... So, um, Terra... Would you like some tea? I said I'd make you some tea if you wanted some..."

"Well, actually, I... I have to..." Terra thought for a moment. Would it be rude of her to turn down an offer like that? After all, Fluttershy had gone outside of her element (At least, she assumed so. She had yet to determine with certainty whether she was normally like this.) to check on her in a forest she had said was 'dangerous and unnatural.' After thinking for a moment, she smiled. "Sure."

-

Fluttershy gently set down the cup of tea in front of Terra before returning to get her own. Terra noted how Fluttershy manipulated things with her wings as though they were hands... She seemed to have control over her _entire _wing, and not just the simple motions it would take to fly. And yet, the yellow pegasus still opted to lift some things with her mouth - Terra had her doubts that this was hygienic, too - rather than using her wings.

To say the least, Fluttershy intrigued her. After all, while she hadn't exactly ever SEEN a horse (Well, she had, but that might have been an Esper...), she was certain they weren't supposed to talk. And the colors of her mane, tail, and for that matter her body, weren't typical as far as she knew. The wings were another fascination, but... "Hey, Fluttershy?"

"Hmm?" The pegasus turned to her new friend.

"What's up with the butterflies on your... ah... l-leg...?" Terra's lack of knowledge about pony customs shocked Fluttershy, though she held her composure, setting down her own cup of tea.

"Why, it's my cutie mark." She raised a wing, turning her flank towards Terra. "You must at LEAST know what a cutie mark is, right?"

"Actually, I haven't got the slightest idea." Terra admitted. She lowered her nose to the cup, trying to figure out how to pick it up without thumbs. Stumped, she shrugged and simply began lapping it up like a dog.

Fluttershy stared for a moment. "Okay, I know you're kidding about that one. I mean, you've got a cutie mark right there on YOUR flank!" She pointed at Terra's. "What is that, anyway? I've never seen anything like it. Is it a stone? A jewel?"

"What?" Terra stopped drinking and looked at her flank. "N-no way..."

"What? What does it mean?"

"I-I don't know. But this... This is a piece of Magicite! But how can that be...?"

Tilting her head, Fluttershy asked, "What's a 'magic-site...?'"

"No, no, not a Magic Site. A Magicite. It's... It's this little stone... well, maybe jewel is the more appropriate term, but that's not the point. The point is that it's flooding with magical potential, and holding on to one can teach the bearer magical spells. But that doesn't make any..."

"...Y-you lied to me...?" Fluttershy stepped back.

"What? No I didn't." Terra shook her head.

"But cutie marks tell us what our special talents are..." This time, Terra took a step back. "If that's what a Magicite is, that means... that means your special talent is magic."

Shaking her head violently, Terra exclaimed, not really screaming, but certainly not quiet either, "But that can't be! Magic's dead!"

And that's when a confused look crossed Fluttershy's face. "Magic? Dead?" Terra nodded. "Why, that's simply not true." She giggled as Terra's face grew even more startled. "Oh, my. I think you've got a few things to learn if you think magic's dead. Luckily for you, I happen to know just the pony to teach you a thing or two about magic." She smiled. "Oh, but of course, you can finish your tea first." Terra blinked, then nodded and returned to drinking her tea, as Fluttershy lifted her own cup and drank her own tea.

'_Now how the heck is she doing that...?'_

-  
  
Ponyville was as quiet as ever. It seemed everyone was out and about, doing their own thing. Terra looked around in amazement. The buildings were completely new to her, their structure and style not at all like those where she came from. But the village also seemed ALIVE. And while the many towns she was familiar with had grown back to prosperity and happiness, the air here felt as though... as though such things had never left. It was calm, it was peaceful... And yet, it was lively and wondrous. Terra simply thought one thing: This town just had to be perfect. THIS was what she had wanted for the towns back home. Fluttershy looked to her, smiling as she glanced around, taking in her surroundings. "So, I guess you think Ponyville looks nice?"

"Nice is an understatement, Fluttershy..." Terra said, quietly. "It's... perfect..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Ponyville was the perfect place for me to settle down. It's nice and quiet, almost relaxing, and the fields around town are such a wonderful place for all my little animal friends..." Fluttershy shifted her gaze back forward. "We're almost there, Terra. Trust me, Twilight will be able to explain everything to you."

Diverting her attention from the village, Terra quickened her pace and caught up to the yellow pegasus. "So, Twilight knows a lot about magic, then...?" The whole 'magic' thing was confusing Terra. It was supposed to be dead. When they'd stopped Kefka, Magicites and Espers simply ceased to exist, and magic along with it. And yet Fluttershy insists that it's still around.

Nodding, Fluttershy said, "Oh, yes. She knows everything there is to know about magic. Well, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but she does know quite a lot." As they approached the tree which housed the Golden Oaks Library, Fluttershy slowed down a bit. "And here we are!"

The pegasus walked to the door, gingerly knocking on it. Terra gazed in awe at the magnificent tree. '_This is their library? I... Wow, that's... that's amazing...!'_ A moment later, she too stepped forward and stood by Fluttershy. Mere seconds later, the top half of the door swung open, and a lavender pony stuck her head out. Terra could see a horn on her head, just like the one on her own head.

"Oh, hello, Fluttershy! Who's this?" Twilight motioned to Terra.

"This is my new friend Terra. I found her on the edge of the Everfree Forest. She seems to be a bit confused, so I was hoping you could teach her a few things, like about magic? I-I mean if you're busy, we could come back some other time, but-"

Twilight smiled. "Oh, it's no problem, I'm not busy. In fact, I was just talking to a new friend of my own. Come on in, you two." The lower half of the door swung open, as well, revealing the rest of the mare's body. She, too, had wings, much to Terra's surprise.

A voice trailed through the library. "Twilight, who was at the door?" '_Wait a minute... I know that voice..._' A moment later, a green mare with a long, blonde mane descended the staircase, turning her gaze to the lavender mare. However, her attention was quickly grabbed by Terra. "...Terra...? Is that you?"

"Celes?!"


	2. Chapter 2

"So, Terra needs some help learning how to do magic? And you say that's odd because her special talent IS magic?" Twilight questioned Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus nodded in affirmation.

"Magic?" Celes tilted her head. "Isn't magic supposed to be...?" Terra nodded.

Turning to face the two, Twilight asked, "Isn't magic supposed to be what?" She stepped towards the two.

Terra bit her lip. "Well, uh... See, Celes and I thought... Well, it's just that we thought magic was supposed to be dead." She took a step back as the lavender Alicorn was suddenly standing right before her.

"EXCUSE me?!" Terra couldn't tell whether or not Twilight was angry. "Magic? Dead? Where do you come from where anypony would tell you THAT, especially if your special talent IS magic? I can assure you, Terra, Magic is most certainly alive." She smiled. _'I guess she's not angry then...'_ "Guess what? My special talent is magic, too. I've been studying under Princess Celestia for as long as I can remember, and I know PLENTY about magic. So, I guess if you need a refresher course or something, I could help you out."

"Who's... Princess Celestia...?" Celes raised a hoof. Both Twilight and Fluttershy looked at her with puzzled expressions. "...What?"

Stammering, Fluttershy began to respond, "Well, it's just that... um... Princess Celestia... she's..." However, Twilight interjected, which Fluttershy was actually very okay with.

"Princess Celestia is the ruler of Equestria. She, along with her sister Luna, watch over all of us from up in Canterlot, the capital city. Considering that, I'm a little surprised that you haven't heard of her, even if you come from outside Equestria like Fluttershy said." Twilight turned towards the staircase. "_SPIKE!_ Aren't you awake yet?!" There came no response. "I'll be right back. Spike sure likes to sleep in..." Smiling, she dashed up the staircase. In the time while they waited for her to return, Terra decided to become acquainted with what had happened to Celes.

The green unicorn thought a moment. "Well, after the light from that stone settled, I found myself here in Ponyville. I wasn't quite sure of where I was, but I did know right away that something was wrong. So, not really knowing what to do, I kind of just wandered around aimlessly for a while. Then I bumped into Twilight, who simply insisted I come to the library for a while. She said that with how lost I seemed, it probably wasn't the best idea that I 'bump into pinkie pie' just yet. Whatever that means."

"Umm, if I could say something..." The two turned to Fluttershy, who smiled sheepishly. "Um, what Twilight meant was, we have a friend named Pinkie Pie. She can be a little eccentric, and she always throws surprise parties for the new ponies in town. So what I think Twilight was probably getting at is that she didn't want Pinkie to scare you with a surprise party when you're not even really sure of what to make of where you are." She turned back to the window, and then mumbled, "Of course, that's... um... just my opinion..."

Nodding unsurely, the two turned back to one another. "So, that's what happened to me. What about you?"

"Well, when the light settled, I was in a forest. Just like what happened with you, I didn't quite know what to make of where I was, but I didn't IMMEDIATELY know something was wrong. It wasn't until I met Fluttershy that things seemed so different. I just found it odd that I couldn't stand on two legs - in retrospect I see why now - and that my skin is... well... purple. Anyway, Fluttershy came over to check on me, insisting that the forest was dangerous and unnatural, and invited me to her house for tea. That's where I learned about... what did you call them again, Fluttershy? Cutie Marks?" The pegasus nodded, not taking her eyes away from the window. "Right, Cutie Marks. Fluttershy says that, since mine is a piece of Magicite -"

Celes panicked momentarily, asking in a hushed tone, "You didn't tell her what Magicite is, did you? I have a feeling that if anybody knows, they might think we're out of our minds... I mean, they don't seem to know anything about what happened with Kefka and the Empire..."

Waving her hoof, Terra eased her fears. "Relax. I just told her about what Magicite does. I didn't tell her where it comes from. She seemed comfortable with that explination, and it's entirely accurate anyway. So, she says that since my Cutie Mark is a piece of Magicite, my special talent has to be magic." Sighing, Terra continued, in a whisper, "But what confuses me is how magic could still be alive here. I'm certain that when we destroyed the Statues and killed Kefka, magic in its entirety vanished... Magicites and Espers... all of it, just gone."

Shrugging, Celes noticed Twilight descending the staircase once more. "We'll talk more about this later." She noticed the baby dragon resting on the lavender mare's back, and asked, "Is that Spike?"

Twilight nodded. "Yep! He's my number one assistant. Spike, this is Celes and Terra. Terra, Celes, this is Spike."

Spike waved. "Nice to meet you both!" Spike leapt off of Twilight's back and made for the ladder that rested against the wall. "You said you needed the Beginners Magic Hoofbook, right?" Twilight nodded, and Spike began looking for the book.

"The Beginners Magic Hoofbook will give us a few simple spells for you to try out, Terra. I would think you'd be able to do these spells already, but judging by what Fluttershy's told me, it would seem that you need to be reminded how to use magic in the first place. We'll start with something small, say... Levitation. That's a skill all unicorns can perform." Smiling to Celes, she added, "You can give it a try, too, if you want."

Smiling back, Celes chimed, "Maybe I will. We'll see." She watched as Spike returned with a blue book.

"Got it!" Spike leapt back onto Twilight's back as the mare levitated the book from his claws.

"Alright then! So, listen, some of these spells might be a little dangerous to perform in here. I don't want anything to happen to the library..." She stepped in front of the glass display case which housed the Elements of Harmony. "Or, heaven forbid, these. Not to mention you, me, Spike, or Fluttershy. So, how about we step outside while we give Terra this little refresher course?" Everypony nodded, Fluttershy at last tearing her gaze from the window.

-

As the four ponies walked through Ponyville, Celes took her turn to marvel at the serenity of the village. Twilight and Terra were busy having a conversation, and Fluttershy simply fluttered gently in the air beside Celes, deciding she should become acquainted with her.

"So, what _exactly_ is a Cutie Mark, Twilight?" Terra asked, figuring she might as well learn some more about them.

"You don't know? Well, I've got to say that's quite surprising... Well, they're little more than a depiction, or 'mark' of what our special talent is. Fluttershy's got butterflies because she's got the tenderness to communicate with and care for animals, and the six stars that make up my Cutie Mark are significant of my natural ability in magic. I'm not quite sure what Celes' means, but Fluttershy tells me yours is a 'Magicite?' She said it's got something to do with magic. Would you mind explaining that to me? The only magical jewels I've ever heard of are the Elements of Harmony..."

Startled, Terra gasped quietly, then decided Twilight might be content with the same explination that she had given Fluttershy about Magicite. "Well... They're these little jewels, small enough that you could hold one in your ha- err, hoof. Despite their small size, they're overflowing with magical potential, and simply holding one is enough to teach someone a magical skill. But, uh, I don't think they exist anymore. I... heard something about the last of them being destroyed about a year ago."

Twilight seemed disappointed. "Aww, really? That's unfortunate. I would've loved to study one."

Nodding, Terra continued, "So, where do Cutie Marks come from?" Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Well, Terra, ponies aren't born with Cutie Marks. Lots of ponies refer to a filly or a colt who hasn't found their Cutie Mark yet as a 'blank flank.' But nopony - at least nopony I've ever met - stays that way forever. As soon as they realize what their talent is, then their Cutie Mark will appear. It's kind of like magic, because one minute it's not there, and then the next, it is. But, just because your Cutie Mark says you're talented at something doesn't mean you can't be talented at other things. Though, I don't think anypony has ever had more than one Cutie Mark. ...Except for Apple Bloom that time that she had Cutie Pox..."

"Who?"

"Apple Bloom. She's my friend Applejack's sister. If we have time after your lesson, I'll take you over to Sweet Apple Acres and introduce you to the Apple Family."

After a bit more walking, the group arrived at a field just outside of Ponyville. They weren't particularly close to the village, so the town would be safe in the event that somepony misfired a spell. "Alright, here we go. This should be perfect." Twilight cracked the book open and levitated it over to Terra. "Levitation is simple. Just follow the instructions on the first page. But, uh..." Twilight levitated a few rocks over to Terra, as well. "Do it on the rocks, not the book. I've seen attempts to levitate turn into fireballs before, and I think I only have one copy of the Beginner's Magic Hoofbook at the library."

Terra was suddenly nervous. Levitation turning into accidentally setting something on fire? Levitating objects wasn't something Terra had done before, but, unfortunately, conjuring fire was. She wasn't sure if she'd still be able to do that, but the simple thought of it scared her. She didn't want to hurt someone. "Isn't there something simpler I could try?"

Twilight placed her hoof against her snout. "No, levitation is as simple as it comes. Just relax and focus. It's not that hard at all. I'd say that, worst case scenario, you just drop the rock. Start with one, then pick up the others." Terra swallowed, nervously. She slowly read the directions on the page...

_Levitation is the simplest thing a unicorn can do. It requires little energy to perform, as well, and is unlikely to tire you out. To begin, simply focus on the object. Then, envision it lifting off the ground. If the object begins floating, then congratulations! You've taken your first steps into the wonderful world of magic!_

Turning towards one of the rocks, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and envisioned the rock levitating off the ground. She felt a strange sensation above her forehead. Her eyes snapped open, and she briefly saw the rock cloaked in a blue aura. "What...?" Her eyes drifted up. It suddenly occurred to her that the sensation had been coming from her horn. "What was that?"

Twilight looked at Fluttershy, and the two began giggling. Twilight then turned to Terra. "Assuming you mean what I think you mean, that was magic. Unicorn magic comes from our horns, so whenever we perform a spell, levitation or otherwise, our horns spark to life with magical energy. In other words, you were doing it right! Give it another try, Terra!" Terra nodded, and focused on the rock again. This time, she did not close her eyes. A small smile appeared on her face when the rock lifted off of the ground, growing into a massive grin as she levitated it closer. "Way to go, Terra!"

"I... did it! Magic IS alive!" Terra began leaping in small circles, the rock following her. Here she was, far from home, and the only friends she truly had being two ponies who, despite the fact that she had just met them, seemed truly friendly, and Celes, and already she had found something to draw out immense joy from her heart. Magic. This is who she was, after all. She'd been born with magic, and while it had been abused in the past, it had been a skill she had been proud of up until it had been unfairly torn away from her (Though, she hadn't minded life without magic by any means.). She stopped leaping and focused on another rock. It joined the other by her snout, and she repeated this process until she was levitating every rock Twilight had given her.

"Alright, Terra!" Celes cheered. She clapped her two forehooves together once, then caught herself before she fell on her face. _Right. Gotta get used to not having hands..._

Twilight smiled. "Okay, Terra. Pass the rocks over here and I'll teach Celes how to levitate them. In the meantime, you start practicing the next spell." Nodding, Terra turned her attention to the book. She guessed that she could flip the page in the same manner as levitating the rocks, and by imagining the page flipping, she was able to use her magic to make it do so.

_Another simple spell for a unicorn to perform is the ability to concentrate the magical energy in their bodies into a light, useful for navigating in the dark. While not as easy to pull off as levitation, the general principal is the same. First, simply focus your magic into your horn without doing anything. This is done simply by envisioning your horn filled with magic. Once this is done, simply envision the area in front of you becoming lit as such that you may see what is in front of your face._

_*While this spell CAN be performed in the light, it is strongly advised that inexperienced unicorns perform the spell in the dark._

Terra mumbled to herself, "Well, it's still light out... But this spell is supposed to be simple... right?" She shrugged and proceeded to follow the instructions.

Fluttershy smiled as Celes gently lifted one of the rocks. "You're doing wonderfully, Celes. I may not be a unicorn, but I can tell you're already getting the hang of this."

Celes smiled sheepishly. "Am I?"

Twilight smiled as well. "You'd never know you've never done this before." The three shared a laugh as Celes picked up another rock, twirling the two of them playfully.

Terra stuggled getting the area around her to light up. Perhaps, she thought, the book neglected to mention that the spell would be next to impossible to perform in sunlight. Still, she tried again. Again, the aura around her horn fizzled out before she noticed any change in the level of light. Frustrated, Terra stamped her hooves and tried one last time. She smiled when she saw a glow appear on the ground in front of her. But then, her heart dropped. The glow was orange. _FIREY_ orange. Her eyes drifted slowly to her horn, which she found cloaked in a firey red aura. "Ah!" She yelped, overthinking how to discharge the energy from her horn. "Twilight!" She called as a rush of fire burst from her horn, which sailed into the sky, somersaulting before heading straight for Celes.

"What is it? ...Uh oh..." Twilight and Fluttershy dove out of the way, but Celes hadn't been paying attention. "Celes! Look out!"

"Huh? ...AH!" Celes turned to see the flames heading for her. Startled, she dropped the rocks, and closed her eyes, desperately wishing she had a sword. Perhaps she could have used it to absorb the magic. Twilight and Fluttershy winced, sure Celes was about to be incinerated, just before a shrill sound rang out. Twilight was the first to look, and gasped at what she saw. Celes' horn was glazed silver, and the flames swirled about it, until they disappeared into the mare's now-silver horn.

"...Celes...?" Celes opened her eyes, her horn becoming green once again, and looked around in confusion. "...What was THAT?"

-

"I don't know how that happened." Celes sat at the table in the Golden Oaks Library, along with Terra, Fluttershy, and Twilight. I was just so scared... It's been so long since I last saw fire like that rushing at me..."

"You mean you've seen that before...?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, but it was a long time ago." Celes quickly added, "I don't know if it was magic or not, but I would assume so since I drew that into my horn, too."

Fluttershy glanced to her. "I don't think I've ever seen Twilight do a spell like that before. Is it one of your own?"

Thinking for a moment, Celes said, "...You could say that."

Twilight asked, "If you don't mind my asking, what do you call it?"

"The spell? Uh... I call it..." She smiled. "Runic. I call it Runic." She then turned to Terra. "What about you? Where did that fire come from?"

Terra shrunk back. "I'm not sure. I was trying the second spell in the Beginner's Magic Hoofbook, and I just couldn't seem to get it. I kept trying and trying, and eventually I just got so frustrated and tried one last time. Apparently, I was so frustrated, I cast some kind of fire spell by mistake."

Twilight looked at the Hoofbook. "...Oops. Yeah, uh, I think we can chalk this one up as my fault." She turned the book to the others. "I forgot that the second spell in this book is a light spell. It's really hard to get that one right in direct sunlight. I'm sorry, Terra, you're just starting your refresher course out and I made your second lesson much harder on you than it had any right to be." She sighed. "I guess I have a long way to go before I become a magic teacher."

"Actually, Twilight, I thought you did a pretty good job of teaching them how to levitate things. It was just a mistake that made this so hard for her, right?" Fluttershy placed her hoof near Twilight's.

"Maybe so, but I should still probably wait a while longer before I think about teaching foals about magic!" She chuckled, and Terra and Celes rolled their eyes and smiled.

Everypony looked to the library door as it swung open and an orange Earth Pony stepped in. "Twilight! You have to come to Sweet Apple Acres!" She turned to Fluttershy. "You too, Fluttershy!" She seemed excited.

"Why? What's up, Applejack?"

"Hooo, boy, you girls aren't gonna wanna miss this! Some new guy showed up there today, and he's really givin' Big Mac a run for his money! The two have been at it since early this mornin'! They're gettin' ready to have a competition to prove who's stronger. C'mon!" Applejack dashed to the door, then turned around. "You can bring those two, too! Jus' don't be forgettin' to introduce us once everything's done n' over with!" She dashed away after that.

Twilight stood up. "Well, I for one know I DEFINITELY don't want to miss this."

"Who's Big Mac?" Celes asked, as she levitated her cape from the hook by the door.

"He's Applejack's brother. Everypony around here generally refers to him as the strongest stallion around. If somepony could give Big Mac a run for his money, then I'm not going to miss out on finding out who's the strongest around." Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "You going to come along?" Terra and Celes glanced to one another. The two shrugged and nodded, and the four made for Sweet Apple Acres.


End file.
